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Friday, January 17, 2014

*Friday Favorites*

It's finally Friday!!

I love Fridays, because it's the only weekday that I don't have to travel to Stillwater. It gives me a chance to clean the apartment, work on my thesis, get caught up on laundry, and Chase and I usually have a date night.

I also had my hair done today, which I always enjoy. I just touched up the red-black ombré thing that I have going on and had her cut some bangs.

I usually never stray too far from black, but when I do, it's never too long before I return to the dark side. I've always wanted to dye my hair platinum blonde, but I'm afraid my locks would break off in protest if I did. And since Chase loves long, dark hair, I would hate to break his heart :).

Anyways, in the spirit of blogging, I am going to try something new. I love theme days (such as What I Ate Wednesday) and I think Friday Favorites would be lots of fun to do. I am always trying new things, so every Friday, I will highlight a few of Britni's Favorite Things. (if you care!)

Sorry about the cheesy caption — I couldn't resist. I.love.this.stuff. First of all, it's a waterproof mascara. Usually I am very opposed to waterproof mascaras, because they tend to become dry and flaky and are a pain in the butt to take off. This one is none of those things. It also provides a crazy amount of length and for those of you who are like me and enjoy piling on the makeup, you can layer this stuff on without it becoming cakey or losing a curl. Unlike Benefit's They're Real mascara, it doesn't bring down your curl. I can curl my lashes (I use a blow dryer to heat up my curler first) and pile on this mascara, and my curl stays all day. I've tried a ton of mascaras and this one has been my favorite for awhile. The brush is great, because it's small, allowing you to grasp even the smallest hairs when applying. It's definitely a lengthening mascara, but I've also cocktailed it with L'Oreal's Voluminous, and that worked out well. And yes, it's amazing at being waterproof, but it also comes off very easily for me. I use coconut oil to remove my makeup.

This is my eye before mascara (please excuse my eyebrows, which are in severe need of a wax)

I really enjoy this protein powder. I've been making a shake everyday, especially during the week. It's so easy for me to throw stuff in a blender for a quick breakfast or lunch when I'm running out the door. I usually choose whey protein, but this stuff is brown rice protein and is organic, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and free of allergens. It's also sweetened with stevia, so it's low carb, which I love. It has 15 grams of protein and only 3 grams of carbs. I like it best with almond milk, half of a frozen banana, a handful of spinach and raw almond butter. It tastes like a milkshake!

Usually, I'm all about low carb stuff, only because I know that my body responds extremely well to less carbs. I used to never eat bananas because of their high sugar/carb content, but lately, I just can't get enough of them. They're amazing with almond butter, dipped in dark chocolate and frozen, tastes like ice cream when they're frozen then put in a food processor, and they make protein shakes taste so good. I do try to limit myself to half of a banana a day, but I'm obsessed with their sweet creaminess as of late. If loving bananas is wrong, I don't want to be right.

OMG, y'all. I'm just obsessed. Chase teases me because I keep a tub in the bathroom and in the kitchen. I use it to cook my eggs and veggies, I put it in coffee, mix it with cocoa, put it in shakes, eat it straight off the spoon, use it for oil pulling, I cleanse my face with it, moisturize with it, use it as a shaving cream, put it in my hair, use it for flyaways....the list could go on. If you've never tried coconut oil for anything, you're missing out. I've noticed such a change in my skin and hair since using this stuff religiously. (I'm really a fan of all coconut products...coconut butter, coconut water and unsweetened coconut flakes are great with almonds and dark chocolate chips).

Well, I don't know if this is really a favorite, but I'll admit it. I hate working out. As much as I love yoga, I don't consider it to be a heart-pumping workout (even though Bikram is quite challenging). I bought this DVD because the workouts are only 30 minutes, so I have no excuses not to do it. There are 3 levels, and you do each level for 10 days before moving on to the next. I'm only 5 days in to Level 1, but it's definitely challenging! Some of the before and afters of this DVD that you can find by googling are pretty amazing. She does so a lot of squats and lunges, so if you have bad knees, you might want to steer clear of it. I like how she uses intervals, since I hate working out, I don't get a chance to get bored before moving on to the next exercise. Some of the stuff she says is quite comical (If you've got it, flaunt it! No shame, ladies!), but overall, I enjoy her workout DVDs.Those are some of the things I'm loving this week! What are you currently loving?